As is known, a laser produces an intense, coherent, directional beam of light or radiation. A laser generally includes three main components: an energy ‘pump’ source, a gain medium, and a resonator cavity. The energy pump source generates a population inversion in the gain medium, and the gain medium amplifies light traveling therein. The resonator cavity typically includes a mirror disposed at each end of the gain medium, effectively defining the cavity. The pump source can be implemented, for example, with a laser diode array or flash-lamp, and the gain medium can be implemented as gas, liquid, or solid, as typically done.
During the lasing process, photons propagating along the axis of the cavity bounce back and forth across the active medium, thereby building intensity. The light in the cavity forms resonant standing waves having a frequency equal to n(c/2D), where n is the standing wave pattern or mode (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc), c is the speed of light, and D is the distance between the mirrors. These modes are sustained in the resonator cavity, and the generated light beam is generally limited to be within the corresponding range of frequencies.
In conventional monolithic pumped laser cavity designs, the various optical components (e.g., end caps, mirrors and passive Q-switch) are aligned to form the laser cavity, thereby forming a monolithic laser cavity. As recognized by the inventors, currently available solutions for monolithic pumped laser cavity designs are associated a number of problems and performance issues.
What is needed, therefore, are better monolithic pumped laser cavity designs.